With the new year only one and a bit days old and I've started sowing seeds
Multiple sowed 80 cells of Hytech onions today and placed in the propagator. I saw in my garden diary that I sowed them in the first week of January last year, and they did very well, so hopefully I will get a repeat performance this year.

Also, I set tomato seeds to chit yesterday, which I've done on Jan 1st for several years now, testing early varieties to see which are the earliest. This year's candidates are Oregon Spring, Bloody Butcher & Silver Fir tree. (Thanks to Green Aura for seeds of the last two )

At the moment some early tomatoes, peppers, onions, strawberries indoors. No cell trays, nowhere to put them yet with our main indoor growing area down to sub zero temperatures overnight, so everything sown into small pots for now.

Out in the polytunnel there are some potatoes in and peas and broad beans. It's a new structure given to us by a friend who only used it for tomatoes (they grow better outside!) so we have no idea what it will be good for, it will be too hot in summer. It might be too cold for the potatoes which are well buried, but as we were given a large box of seeds it was worth a try.

Ah that's fine if you have your own land Odsox but when you are renting allotments - well a polytunnel can be a big investment - given that fact that allotment land can be built on. There were a whole lot of plot holders been moved on here a few years ago when planning permission was given for the land - not that it has happened yet.

Very true Flo, I realise that.
However there is always one way or another to grow stuff out of the elements, for instance see my article on indoor growing, wot I rote on the Ish Blog site... http://www.selfsufficientish.com/main/2 ... e-growing/
Blatant advert
Or by clicking on the "The urban guide to becoming self sufficient'ish" logo at the top of every page.

I'm tempted to get some cherry tomatoes started off, and some herbs too. My current (flyaway) greenhouse is full of holes now so nothing is staying dry in there. Hopefully be the happy owner of a polycarbonate GH in the next month or two...

"It's breaking the circle.
Going to work, to get money, to translate into things, which you use up, which means you go to work again, etc, etc.
The Norm.
What we should be doing is working at the job of life itself."
- Tom Good, The Good Life.

Today I started my maincrop tomatoes off, chitting on paper towels.
Thanks to someone giving me 6 varieties, plus the varieties I had already chosen, I find that I am going to grow 17 varieties this year. Somewhat of a record for me.
I am only growing one plant of some of them, but that's still quite a few plants. Luckily I have room for 14 in the conservatory, plus another 21 in the polytunnel hydroponics pipe.
Then there the peppers to chit as well .....

i got my brussels and broad beans on the go, and my toms will be going in tomorrow, i'm going to give some of my ground a rest this year and grow a multitude of crops in containers as the soil needs to be fed and enriched, its worked so hard over the years it needs a break

Respect to all, be kind to all and you shall reap what you sow.
old tree man,
aka..... Russ

Chillies, about 15 different varieties. We did amazingly well with Habaneros last year so we've expanded our repertoire - maybe a little too much. I'm not sure where we'll put them all but you can be sure we'll try to find somewhere suitable.

Maggie

Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy